In a time defined by anxiety, burnout, and constant change, Priya Arora—author, survivor, spiritual seeker, and a devoted student of Vedanta—presents her latest book, ‘Life Is a Battlefield: Insights from the Eternal Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita’ (Penguin India). Far from a traditional commentary or translation, this powerful work offers a bold and transformational presentation of the Gita — tailored for those navigating the emotional, mental, and spiritual complexities of modern life.
Life unfolds in waves of duality, marked by highs and lows. Like Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, there are times when each of us stands at a crossroads, feeling overwhelmed, desperately searching for strength and yearning for answers. Krishna’s spiritual guidance is the key to overcoming even the most daunting challenges in our path. The Bhagavad Gita instils a winning mindset that leads us from confusion to clarity, from anxiety to inner peace and from bondage to liberation.
In ‘Life Is a Battlefield’, Priya Arora draws from some of the most illuminating verses of the Gita, which are central to achieving a sense of fulfilment. The teachings encompass enduring truths, such as viewing adversity as a teacher, understanding our inner reality, practising selfless action, cultivating equanimity, quieting the restless mind and recognizing that our actions have consequences.
Priya demonstrates that the Gita is more than just ancient philosophy—it offers perennial wisdom, relevant across time and faith, addressing existential questions that have perplexed humanity since the dawn of civilization.
This insightful presentation of universal truths highlights the enduring relevance of the Gita in our lives today, inviting the reader to rediscover the fearless warrior within.
Drawing on some of the most powerful verses of the Gita, ‘Life Is a Battlefield’ shows how ancient wisdom can serve as a practical, universally relevant guide in today’s world.
From self-doubt and stress to personal loss and uncertainty, Arora offers timeless tools for resilience, clarity, and inner strength. With thoughtful insight, she distils the Gita’s teachings into everyday lessons—how to act without attachment, stay grounded amid chaos, grow through adversity, and live with deeper purpose and peace.
At its core, this book is a powerful reminder: Life is indeed a battlefield—but with the right mindset, it is one we are fully equipped to face.
Priya Arora is an author, spiritual seeker, and lifelong student of Vedanta. Born and raised in Kolkata, she studied English Literature at Oxford University and later built a successful career in banking and technology in the U.S., where she has lived for over 30 years.
Her spiritual journey began after attending a lecture at the Ramakrishna Mission in Berkeley, which sparked a deep interest in Vedic philosophy. Now a devoted follower of Advaita Vedanta, Priya has also studied Sanskrit to engage more deeply with ancient texts.
Her first book, ‘Rama, A Man of Dharma’ (Penguin India, 2024), reimagined Rama as a model of ethical leadership. Her latest, ‘Life Is a Battlefield’ (Penguin India, 2025), offers a modern, practical interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita for anyone seeking clarity, strength, and purpose.
Written from personal experience—including a cancer diagnosis and raising a child with autism—Priya’s work is both deeply spiritual and profoundly human, grounded in lived wisdom she hopes will help others find peace amid life’s challenges.
‘Life Is a Battlefield’ Author Priya Arora
In order to get a detailed insight into Priya’s latest release and how it brings to us a fresh perspective of the age-old wisdom bestowed by the Bhagavad Gita, Sonakshi Datta of GoaChronicle asked the author a few questions.
How does your presentation of the Bhagavad Gita differ from the traditional commentaries or translations? How does this fresh perspective help people navigate the complexities of life?
Rather than being a translation or a traditional commentary on the Gita, Life is a Battlefield offers a fresh perspective. The book aims to bring the wisdom of the Gita alive by connecting it to modern life. It focuses on the universal message Krishna teaches Arjuna, which transcends religion.
Life is a Battlefield is a hands-on manual for building resilience and a success-oriented mindset in the face of life’s everyday challenges. If you want to succeed in any area, whether secular or spiritual, you must first learn to control your mind and not allow it to control you. Life is a Battlefield teaches you how to do that.
What do you think are the most important lessons that one could learn from the Bhagavad Gita, that would help individuals even in the modern chaotic times? What values taught by the holy book remain still remain as crucial as ever?
The Bhagavad Gita was revealed to Arjuna during a moment of emotional crisis. It is delivered on the battlefield, amid the chaos of war, so its lessons are for those of us fighting life’s struggles. The Gita’s message is timeless because it teaches you how to reorient your thinking and strengthen your mind, so it won’t break down when difficulties come.
Life is essentially a battlefield like Kurukshetra, where we continually experience ups and downs. This was true 5000 years ago; it is true today and will remain true tomorrow. The Gita teaches you how to win the battle of life. The lesson is ageless.
‘Life Is a Battlefield’, how did you reach this conclusion for it to become the very title of your book? What is the biggest lesson from the Bhagavad Gita that you took to stand firmly on your own life’s battlefield, and what kind of situations did it help you in, later on in life?
I chose ‘Life is a Battlefield’ because Kurukshetra serves as a metaphor for the inner battle we all must fight. The Mahabharata, which illustrates the philosophy of the Gita, is about the clash between dharma and adharma; life is the same. The most valuable lesson I learned is that good times and bad times come to everyone. They touch us like summer and winter and move on in a continuous cycle. To navigate dualities such as success and failure, loss and gain, victory and defeat, joy and sorrow, honor and dishonor, we need to cultivate equanimity.
This means not getting overly excited in good times or unduly despondent in bad times. With practice, one can develop samatvam—a balanced mindset—so that our life is not a rollercoaster of emotions that destroy our peace.
The lesson of samatvam helped me enormously through a difficult diagnosis of cancer and the lengthy treatment that followed. It continues to give me strength in parenting my son, who has autism and severe OCD. One learns to change what one can and accept with fortitude—titiksha—what one cannot. It is remarkable how much peace can be found in internalizing this wisdom.
Which one verse of the Bhagavad Gita resonates the most with you, and why?
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन |
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि || Verse 2.47
You only have control over your effort; you have no control over the outcome. Therefore, focus on the effort, not the result. And take care not to slide into complacency.
If we fully grasp this verse, much of our anxiety is relieved. Enormous stress comes from constantly worrying about the outcome of our actions and how we want things to turn out. Instead of focusing on what is beyond our control, concentrating only on our efforts—over which we have 100 percent control—feels much more empowering.
A player who pays attention to the game instead of constantly checking the scoreboard can perform better because the mind is not preoccupied with the result. This is simple advice, and I practice it myself, so I can confidently say it works!
What makes ‘Life Is a Battlefield’, a must-read for all?
Every human being has one desire and one desire alone: to be happy. Everything we do is driven by this pursuit—we hope to discover happiness in what we buy, in the relationships we form, and in the work we undertake. If we chase after wealth, power, and fame, it is because we believe they will bring us happiness.
Yet, all these things only offer temporary satisfaction that eventually fades. Money can buy possessions. Money can buy comfort. Money can buy relationships. But money, no matter how much you have, cannot buy the priceless joy of inner contentment.
Life is a Battlefield is a must-read as it teaches you how to cultivate inner satisfaction that does not depend on the unpredictable variables of the external world. This is the kind of joy that is everlasting, something that no one can take away from you.
